I love the old commercials for freecreditreport.com. I love the “band” singing and I love the songs they sing. I don’t enjoy the new “band” or the new songs. Before I get into the point of the blog, I’ll let you in on a little tidbit. While the adorable Eric Violette fronts the band, he’s lip syncing to the lyrics, voice, and vision of adman Dave Mulhefeld. Mulhefeld is also responsible for cursing our televisions with the Geico gecko and cavemen.
While the site is called freecreditreport.com the reports are not entirely free. There are two options available on the site.
Instant Option
For an immediate charge of one dollar you can get your credit score and report immediately. Then your membership in Triple Advantage® starts immediately. You have seven days to cancel the membership before you’re charged the $14.95 monthly fee.
Two-Day Option
You’ll get your credit report through Experian within two days and your reports through Equifax and TransUnion about four days later. This is a free option, but users are strongly encouraged to add Triple Advantage®. You have to cancel within the first nine days to not be charged.
While I find the commercials clever, you don’t have to go this route to get your credit report. Everyone is allowed one free report from each of the three credit bureaus by making a request at annualcreditreport.com. Anyone who has been denied credit can request a copy of the report from the declining agency. It’s a good idea to get a copy each year to stay aware of errors because errors happen too easily.
If you’re tempted to pay for a membership in a credit monitoring service, I’d opt instead for one that would monitor my whole identity. The overall cost seems to be less while the overall benefit seems to be greater.